A Closer Look

Lady ‘Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated:

I might have cried out of pity for him for the hunger he r suffered. I would pass my hand over his stomach and say, “May my soul be scarified for you. If only you would satisfy yourself from this world with what sustains and protects you from hunger.”

He r said, “O ‘Aishah, my brothers from the Messengers of strong will showed patience over what is harder than this and they departed in this state of theirs. They came to their Lord, Who honored their return and rewarded them generously. I would feel shame if I lived in such luxury that it makes me fall behind them. Therefore, patience for a few days is more beloved to me than having my share lessened tomorrow in the Hereafter, and nothing is more beloved to me than joining my brothers.”[1]

His House: 

‘Ata’ Al-Khurasani narrated, “I had the chance of seeing the chambers of the Messenger’s wives, built of palm branches with sackcloth from black hair on their doors. Then I witnessed the letter of Al-Walid bin Abdul-Malik being read, in which he commanded the incorporation of the houses of the Prophet’s wives into the Prophet’s Masjid. I never saw the man as tearful as I saw him on that day. I also heard Sa‘id bin Al-Musaib saying on that day, ‘By Allah, I wished that they would leave them as they were so that rising generation from the people of Madinah would grow up and comers from faraway lands would come and see with what did the Messenger of Allah (Pbuh) content himself in his life. Perhaps it might exhort them to renounce pride and mutual rivalry for piling up of worldly gains.’”[2]

Abu Umamah said on that day, “If only they were left and were not demolished, so that people might lower their buildings and see what Allah chose for His Prophet (Pbuh)while having in His Hands the keys to the treasuries of this world.”[3] 

His Furniture:

•  ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab t narrated, “I came to the Messenger of Allah (Pbuh) while he was lying on a mat. I sat down, so he (Pbuh) drew up his Izar over himself. He (Pbuh) had nothing else over him, and the mat had left its imprint on his side. I gazed into the closet of the Messenger of Allah r. I saw only a handful of barley about one Sa‘ (a measure of food), an equal amount of mimosa leaves in the corner of the room, and hanging untanned leather, so my tears preceded me. He (Pbuh) said, ‘What makes you cry, O Ibn Al-Khattab?’ I said, ‘O Prophet of Allah, why should I not cry when this mat has left its imprint on your side, and this is your closet? I see nothing inside it except what I see. And there, Caesar (the King of Rome) and Chosroes (the Emperor of Persia), living in luxury, and you are the Messenger of Allah, His chosen one, and that is your closet!’ He (Pbuh) said, ‘O Ibn Al-Khattab, would it not please you that we have the Hereafter, and they have this worldly life?’ I said, ‘Yes.’”[4]

• Lady ‘Aishah said, “The mattress of the Messenger of Allah (Pbuh)was made of tanned leather and its filling was palm fibers.”[5]

• Anas bin Malik t said, “The Prophet (Pbuh)never ate at a dining table, or on plates, and he (Pbuh)never ate thin, well-baked bread (i.e. good quality bread (.”[6]
• Anas bin Malik t said, “The cup of the Prophet (Pbuh)broke, so he (Pbuh)mended the cracked area with a silver chain.”[7]

His Subsistence:

• -           “O Allah, make the livelihood of Muhammad’s family bare subsistence,”[8] was the supplication of the Prophet (Pbuh)for himself and his family.
• Ibn ‘Abbas t said, “The Messenger of Allah (Pbuh)would spend successive nights hungry; his family had no food for supper. Most of their bread was barley bread.”[9]
• said, “A complete month would pass during which we, the family of Muhammad r, would not kindle a fire (for cooking). We subsisted only on water and dates
• Abu Hurairah t said, “The family of Muhammad (Pbuh)did not eat their fill for three successive days until he (Pbuh)died.”[11]
• Lady ‘Aishah said, “Whenever the Messenger of Allah (Pbuh)came to me, he (Pbuh)would ask, ‘Do you have food?’ If I said, ‘No,’ he (Pbuh)would say, ‘Then I am fasting.’”[12]
• Abu Hurairah t said, “The Messenger of Allah (Pbuh)left this world without satisfying his hunger even with barley bread.”[13]
• The Prophet (Pbuh)never ate thin bread or a roasted sheep until he (Pbuh)met Allah (died)[14]
• ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab t said, “I saw the Messenger of Allah (Pbuh)keep writhing (of hunger) the whole day, when he (Pbuh)could not find enough bad, dry dates to fill his stomach.”[15]
• Anas bin Malik t narrated that Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her) handed to the Messenger of Allah (Pbuh)a crumb of barley bread, so he (Pbuh)said, “This is the first food your father has eaten for three days.”[16]
• -Abu Hurairah t narrated that hot food was brought to the Messenger of Allah (Pbuh)one day, so he (Pbuh)ate, and upon finishing, he (Pbuh)said, “All thanks and praises to Allah. Hot food has not entered my stomach since such-and-such (day).”[17]

His Clothing:

• Abu Burda t said, “‘Aishah brought out to us a patched garment and a coarse Izar, and she said, ‘In these two (pieces of clothing) was the soul of Allah’s Messenger (Pbuh) taken.’”[18]

• Lady ‘Aishah said, “The Prophet (Pbuh) prayed in a Khamisah (a striped woolen garment) that had markings. During Salah, he (Pbuh) cast one look at its markings. When he (Pbuh)finished praying, he (Pbuh) said, ‘Take this Khamisah of mine to Abu Jahm and bring me the Inbijaniyah (a plain, coarse garment) of Abu Jahm. It has distracted me from my Salah.’”[19]

His Possessions:

• ‘Amr bin Al-Harith t said, “The Prophet (Pbuh) did not leave anything behind (after his death) except his white mule, his weapon, and a piece of land which he (Pbuh) bequeathed to charity.”[20]

• Lady ‘Aishah said, “During his last illness, the Messenger of Allah (Pbuh) asked, ‘O ‘Aishah, what happened to the gold?’ So I brought him between five and seven (or eight or nine) dinars. He (Pbuh) started turning them with his hand and said, ‘What may Muhammad expect of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) if he meets Him and these are with him? Spend them.’”[21]